Florida Senate - 2023 (NP) SR 138 By Senator Berman 26-00351-23 2023138__ 1 Senate Resolution 2 A resolution recognizing March 2023 as “Triple 3 Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Month” and March 3, 4 2023, as “Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Day” 5 in Florida. 6 7 WHEREAS, breast cancer is among the most commonly diagnosed 8 cancers and is the second leading cause of cancer death among 9 women in the United States, and 10 WHEREAS, some 287,850 women were diagnosed with breast 11 cancer in 2022 and more than 43,000 were expected to die from 12 this malignancy, and 13 WHEREAS, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is one of 14 many forms of breast cancer and accounts for between 15 and 30 15 percent of all diagnosed invasive breast cancer cases 16 nationwide, and 17 WHEREAS, of the new breast cancer cases diagnosed in the 18 United States in 2019, more than 53,700 were TNBC, with higher 19 prevalence among younger women; black and Hispanic women; women 20 with type 2 diabetes or carrying excess weight in the abdominal 21 area; and those women with BRCA1 mutations, and 22 WHEREAS, due to its aggressive behavior, TNBC grows quickly 23 and is more likely to have spread by the time it is found and to 24 recur after treatment than other types of breast cancer, and 25 WHEREAS, people diagnosed with metastatic TNBC have less 26 than a 30 percent chance of surviving 5 years after diagnosis, 27 and 28 WHEREAS, TNBC cells do not contain and are considered 29 negative for the three key receptors that medicines typically 30 target in other types of breast cancers and, therefore, limited 31 treatment options are available to treat this cancer, and 32 WHEREAS, while patients with an early diagnosis can often 33 be treated with chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, the 34 limited availability of therapies that specifically address the 35 management of TNBC has made treating this disease a challenge 36 for clinicians, and 37 WHEREAS, recent innovations in targeted therapies have 38 fueled advances in the fight against TNBC, and 39 WHEREAS, studies have shown that TNBC-disease-specific 40 mortality rates are often higher if patients are enrolled in 41 Medicaid or Medicare or have a lower socioeconomic status and 42 that black women are 48 percent less likely than non-Hispanic 43 white women to receive guideline-adherent care and have 44 approximately a twofold higher mortality incidence, resulting in 45 a disproportionately higher risk of death from TNBC, and 46 WHEREAS, advances in breast cancer screening and treatment 47 over the last few decades have reduced the overall breast cancer 48 mortality rate, yet the disproportionate impact of TNBC on 49 racial and ethnic minority communities raises considerations of 50 the underlying determinants driving the disparities, and 51 WHEREAS, it is necessary to promote TNBC education, to 52 raise awareness about the disease-related disparities, and to 53 tackle inequities within the health care delivery system, such 54 as inadequate access to screening, diagnostic testing, and care, 55 to improve early detection and survival, NOW, THEREFORE, 56 57 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida: 58 59 That March 2023 is recognized as “Triple-Negative Breast 60 Cancer Awareness Month” and March 3, 2023, is recognized as 61 “Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Awareness Day” in Florida.